When I was growing up - I'm 52, a Gen-Xer through and through - the message to young girls was overwhelmingly that you can have it all and you must pursue a career.
From Working Girl (which came out in 1988, the year I finished high school) to shoulder-padded power suits to perfume ads showing boss women in the office, the overwhelming vibe of the eighties was that you were your job and your career success shaped your self-esteem.
Fast-forward more than three decades, and social media is awash with trends that reflect a new way of thinking, whether it's Snail Girls or Bare Minimum Mondays or #vanlife.
They are essentially about slowing down, taking time to smell the roses and putting less of an emphasis on work.
It doesn't sound too bad.
"Snail Girl" was a term coined by Australian designer Sienna Ludby in a Fashion Journal article, as the antithesis to "girl boss".
"In my mind, the snail girl goes slow, retreats when she needs and follows the path at her own pace," she wrote. Ludby wasn't worried anymore about achieving an end goal. "I just want to live a happy life."
Digital creator Marisa Jo Mayes coined Bare Minimum Monday as an antidote to the stress she felt on Sundays anticipating a hectic return to work. Mondays now were about not taking meetings, going slow the first two hours, enjoying a walk at lunch and focusing on one task to get completed without distractions.
"I understand Bare Minimum Monday isn't realistic for everybody. I'm self-employed, I work from home, I'm not a mum," she wrote.
"But for anyone interested in trying it, pay attention to where you're putting unnecessary pressure on yourself or setting unrealistic expectations. If you know you won't have time for something, don't put it on your list."
The immediate cry from many will be that Generation Z, who are perpetuating these trends, are just lazy. That employers are being gypped. That a Bare Minimum Monday is a luxury, for say, someone juggling two jobs to pay the mortgage.
But Dr Lena Wang, an associate professor in management at RMIT University, says the trends reflect a positive swing back towards self-care and looking after our mental health.
"What is being reflected in the concept of 'Snail Girl' and 'Bare Minimum Mondays' trends on social media is a call for different ways of living in our society," Dr Wang said.
"These trends don't signify laziness. Instead, there is a great level of self-compassion and self-consciousness being reflected.
"Younger generations are rejecting a lifestyle that focuses on the pursuit of external-driven rewards such as money, fame and status, which has been the focus of older generations for many years.
"These life goals serve their purpose when we are pursuing financial security but may eventually become less rewarding once we have reached a certain point in our financial status.
"Many people are now realising that living a fulfilling, rewarding life is more important than those external rewards."
Dr Wang doesn't expect everyone to get on board. People who "place a high value on the importance of work and extrinsic rewards may continue doing what they usually do"
"But this trend would speak well to people who have experienced burnout, which may have forced them to take a harder look at their current situation and consider a different way of living," she said.
With the possibility of a four-day working week for ACT public servants being discussed, those social media trends could be on to something.
Dr Wang agrees hard work can also bring its own reward. Like most things, it's about striking a balance.
"At the end of the day, I don't think people want to be lazy. I think that's going to be very unrewarding and lead to a less meaningful life," she said.
"The vast majority of people want to pursue their goals and feel a sense of achievement from the work they do. I don't think that will change, it's part of human nature.
"But what I think these trends are about is rebalancing between work and life, because we have been pushing ourselves too hard over the last few decades and it's time to scale back a little bit and put more focus on ourselves.
"At the end of the day, it's our lives that matter most, not our work."
Dr Wang says for employers who might baulk at the idea of letting their workers take the foot off the pedal in the interest of looking after themselves, could be up against it.
Many industries were facing skills and staff shortages. Better conditions were more attractive. Happier workers were more productive workers.
"Employers who are not on board will lose out on talent," Dr Wang said.
"A lot of people are struggling to get good people into their workplace, so if this is what people are actually wanting very strongly in the way their work is to be arranged, then business sort of has to come on board.
"And the companies who are doing better than others, are the ones getting more talent."
Dr Wang's only misgiving about the trends is the emphasis on gender. Why a Snail Girl but not a Snail Boy?
"I think the ideas apply to everyone rather than one girl-centric concept," she said.
